The community of Brighter Road in Minna, Niger State, was thrown into pandemonium on Tuesday as enraged youths joined traders at the mini-market of the area to destroy the state deputy governor’s private residence.
The incident, according to sources, occurred around 11 am as the incensed youths joined the traders, whose shops were demolished by the Urban Development Board to vent their anger on the deputy governor’s house.
An anonymous source told The PUNCH that the traders claimed that they were not given any quit notice, but woke up to see bulldozers demolishing their shops without allowing them to pack their goods and valuables.
The source said the traders felt that the deputy governor’s residence should have been demolished as it was in the same area as the shops that were marked for demolition.
One of the shop owners, Mallam Muritala, lamented that the state government had crippled his business as he was never given a notice to quit, adding that officials of the board came early in the morning, asked him to come out of the shop and started demolishing it without allowing him to pack his money, goods and other valuables.
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Another trader, whose shop was also demolished, Moses Dunia, accused the government of being power-drunk as it protected the deputy governor, whose house was on the same lane.
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Reacting to the incident, the acting General Manager, Niger State Urban Development Board, Muhammed Daba, said the allegations were baseless, adding that owners of illegal structures in the area were duly served with the notice of demolition.
He noted that in the process of discharging their duties, some of his men were attacked and one of them sustained serious injuries and was currently receiving treatment in hospital.
“The owners of the structures were duly served with the quit notice, but I will tell you that this is not the first time such a thing is taking place; three years ago, they were removed and they came back again, and we served them notice and they refused to vacate.
“I can equally say that two weeks ago, we were there, but they resisted our actions and we left for other places and returned today (Wednesday) to clear them off,” he said.
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